North Korea launches a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea as regional neighbors protest the provocation.
North Korea launched a short- want-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday from its eastern coastal Wonsan area. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launch around 5 p.m., noting that the military has bolstered its surveillance posture and is coordinating with the U.S. and Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi reported that the missile landed in the waters off North Korea’s east coast and lodged a formal protest with Pyongyang. South Korea’s presidential national security council characterized the launch as a provocation that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions. This launch marks North Korea's first ballistic missile test since late June. The test occurred just before the annual large-scale military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. Since the collapse of high-stakes diplomacy with President Trump, Kim Jong Un has focused on enlarging his nuclear arsenal to gain international recognition and have economic sanctions lifted. Kim Jong Un has also expanded cooperation with and with China, while supplying conventional weapons and troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.